Charleston, SC – May 17, 2017 – A group of local architects, contractors, and engineering professionals are doing their part to ensure the next generation is ready for the critical infrastructure and development related jobs in Charleston, and throughout the nation.

ACE Mentors of Charleston connects professionals with local classrooms for project-based learning and relationship building. Students work in teams on various aspects of large scale, multifaceted construction projects. The students choose the projects and all the elements to bring the design to a workable set of plans, and even a scale model in some cases.

Each year, to celebrate the students’ success and the investment of time by the many volunteers, a special banquet is held to allow each team to share a presentation on their chosen project.

Dinos Liollio, a 40 year veteran of the industry, provided the key note speech, and his chosen topic was timely for the students waiting to deliver their own presentations. Mr. Liollo spoke on the impact of non-verbal communication. He used many pictures and a movie clip to illustrate his points, and ended the presentation with a video of the dramatic pre-game ritual performed by the All Blacks Rugby Team from New Zealand. He encouraged the students to be aware of what was being communicated by the position of their arms and legs, their facial expressions, and their eye contact during conversations.

After the keynote presentation concluded, each school was invited to the stage to present their class project.

Mr. Roy Kemp, PLTW Engineering Instructor and CTE Dept Chair from Burke High School provided the following account of his experience at the ACE Mentors’ Banquet:

Last night at the presentation banquet for ACE, a student mentoring program with Architects, Contractors and Engineers, outstanding young people from Burke High School, St. Johns High School and R. B. Stall High School made presentations of commercial projects that they had designed and worked on over the past school term under the mentorship of professionals from the three aforementioned tiers of the construction industry.

The class projects presented included: A pavilion for the International African American Museum complete with sketches, CAD drawings and a scale model by Burke HS students;

a wrestling facility complete with engineering drawings, construction budgets and support materials by St. Johns HS students;and a regional recycling center with the “world’s biggest recycled water bottle” fountain along with all the other documentations by R. B. Stall HS students.

The projects were ambitious, well planned with acute attention to details, and served their functions within our extended community amazingly well. The presentations were complete with every step of the planning and development process for these projects, and the students were articulate, at ease and presented to the room of some 100 attendees as well as most professionals. I was proud of the efforts, and realized that the ACE Mentoring Program, along with select educators from the CTE department of Charleston County Schools working with them was helping to develop our community’s future through solving real world development problems. They even gave three $1,000.00 scholarships to deserving students!

Only 2 students from Burke HS were able to attend the event due to a conflict with their school’s senior night. Mr. Kemp shared this picture of the students, teachers, and their ACE Mentors taken in the classroom.

Three students were indeed awarded scholarships to continue their education in the ACE professions in college.

Congratulations to Julio Solis, Ignacio Lopez, and Adrian Santiago on their scholarship awards! All three are graduating seniors from R. B. Stall High School.

Thanks to the school faculty and parents for attending to celebrate these students’ achievements. Thanks to Dinos Liollo for delivering an excellent keynote.

Thanks to Rob Turner, Chairman of the ACE Mentors of Greater Charleston Board and all the volunteers and supporters of this terrific program for their investment of time and talent, and for a wonderful celebration for all involved to end the year!

April 6, 2017 – North Charleston, SC – Students in Ms. Shekema Hamm’s Career and Technology Education class at Daniel Jenkins Academy received an extensive behind the scenes tour of a working hotel and convention hall thanks to Hope Hudson, Director of Human Resources for North Charleston Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center.

“Ms. Hudson was a terrific tour guide for this interesting and thorough exploration of jobs available in our local hotel industry”, said Ms. Hamm.

Ms. Hudson also provided timely career advice for the students. She discussed two common errors with submitted applications; not knowing the position applied for, and listing relatives as references instead of professional references. She said that students in school should list their teachers or pastors as professional references. Most employees truly enjoy their jobs and have been employed at the property for 10+ years she said.

The following qualities are highly sought after in new hires according to Delis Britton, Assistant General Manager:

Dependability

Stable Work Experience

Positive Attitude

People Friendly

Team Oriented

Multi-task Well

Like a Fast-paced Environment

Delis Britton, Assistant General Manager, gave the students an inspirational speech on what it takes to be successful at Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center. Mr. Britton worked his way up from the front desk to his current position in management in 8 years.

Students got to see each of the following essential spaces at the property, learning about the importance of each one:

Main Lobby

Guest Room

Convention Center

Banquet Rooms

Convention Center Kitchen

Hotel Kitchen

Administrative Offices

Hotel Laundry

Engineering

The students learned it only takes about 15-20 minutes to serve 100-200 people in a banquet room and about 10 wait staff, if done by experienced professionals like the pros at Embassy Suites. The prep work for banquets is always done a day ahead, and all fresh ingredients are used.
No food is wasted. Leftovers go to the local food bank and any waste goes into the compost bin to be recycled.

The hotel generously hosted the visiting students for a gourmet lunch. “The students were in awe at the culinary skills of the chef.” said Ms. Hamm. Upon receiving his entree, Jaden Washington stated, “This is the best field trip ever!”

The students enjoyed an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Two students want a career in the local hospitality industry and are applying to work at North Charleston Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center this summer!

May 11, 2017 – Yonges Island, SC – Five students from Baptist Hill Middle High School completed their spring internship program at Stevens Towing Company with a special ceremony.
The students’ capstone project were these grills they made themselves by putting their learned welding skills to use. “The students did an excellent job and really worked hard”, said Libby Singletary, Human Resources Director at Stevens Towing.

One student even designed and built a meat smoker!

The students were proud to display their welding coupons, which are small examples used to demonstrate their welding techniques.

Students were empowered during the semester-long work-based learning opportunity with instruction in welding techniques and best practices.

Check out these additional stories on the students progress throughout this work-based learning experience:

Thanks to the entire team at Stevens Towing Company for hosting this amazing work-based learning opportunity for these students from Baptist Hill MHS! Thanks to the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce for facilitating the connection that led to this experience for these students.

Please enjoy these additional pictures from the celebratory end of semester event.

Students from Ms. Shekema Hamm’s CTE class at Daniel Jenkins Academy were among the attendees for the 3rd Annual Federal Agencies Informational Exhibition on May 5, 2017, hosted by FEA of Greater Charleston.

City of Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg was the keynote speaker for the event’s opening ceremony.

Representatives from various federal agencies educated the public about the many ways the federal government serves the community and makes life better for Lowcountry citizens.

25 federal agencies and military organizations had displays highlighting their mission, programs and initiatives. Professionals from each participating organization were available to answer questions. “Some of the displays included a mini C-17 airplane, passport fair, law enforcement dogs, survey boats, robots from SPAWAR, an authentic fire suit, transport vehicles, and much more”, said Ms. Hamm.

“I am so thankful my students had the opportunity to participate in this terrific event”, Ms. Hamm added.

Each of the participating students completed a career assessment earlier in the semester that indicated a strong interest in Industrial Mechanics, and related career pathways.

The students participated in a simple machine demonstration of how to produce torque. “The students remarked some of the equipment looked complicated, but they were confident they could learn how to properly use the equipment.” said Ms. Hamm.

Mr. David Perkins, Program Coordinator for Industrial Mechanics at Trident Technical College, explained to the students that there are traits all employers are looking for in their employees. He told students if they made it a point to show up early and prepared to work the whole shift as scheduled, they could enjoy a long and productive career with many local companies. He also stressed that experience or knowledge will get you in the door but commitment and dedication will keep you there and allow for promotions.

The students left with a clear understanding of the important role Industrial Mechanics serve repairing and maintaining commercial / industrial machinery in buildings, or in a plant or factory setting. The students were excited to learn the job outlook for this industry is extremely bright in the Charleston region, and that these jobs pay extremely well.

Thanks to Mr. Perkins at Trident Tech for hosting this work-based learning experience, and for sharing the seamless pathway for students to complete high school and earn their industry certifications and associates degree.

West Ashley High students learn about careers in engineering Charleston, SC – From February 21-24, West Ashley High School hosted Wildcat Engineers Week, a week of opportunities for students to learn more about a career in engineering.

Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Engineers Week is designed to raise public awareness of engineers’ positive contributions to quality of life and to encourage students to pursue a career in the field of engineering. According to their website, “More than a week-long event, Engineers Week is a year-round commitment to making a difference.”
“The theme of this year’s Engineers Week is ‘Dream Big’,” said West Ashley High Engineering teacher Dr. Barbara Leonard. “That’s really the message we’re trying to impart.” Wildcat Engineers Week started with guest speaker Nancy Jenkins from the Army Corps of Engineers. Jenkins’ presentation focused on architecture, what architects do, how to become an architect, and popular architecture projects. Jenkins presented to Dr. Leonard’s Civil Engineering and Architecture students. She is a graduate of Middleton High School. “We want to engage students and to have students ask questions and learn as much as they can about engineering while they’re still in high school,” said Dr. Leonard. “I think engineering is a stealth profession.”

The next event included an on-site visit and demonstration from four Boeing engineers. Each engineer talked about his or her career path, the different planes they’re working on, and then collaborated with the students to complete an activity. The students were divided into groups and had to make a wing of an airplane out of index card-size slips of paper and scotch tape. The wing was placed between two chairs while items like pencils, pens, and coins were placed on top of them to test the durability and strength of the wing each group created.

“The Ultimate Driving Machine,” a BMW smart car, made a special appearance on West Ashley High’s campus as well. Students were able to explore the interior of the car and learn more about the special engine under the hood.

On Thursday, students went on a field trip to the Joint Base Charleston where they took part in a special Tuskegee Airmen presentation. While there, students listened to a presentation about the history of the Tuskegee Airmen, took a tour of all the C-17 training facilities on the base, and spoke with representatives from different colleges and aviation careers that set up tables in one of the hangars. Two Tuskegee Airmen were present during the festivities. Students from elementary and middle schools within Charleston County School District also attended the event. International orange, the color of engineering, was worn by many of those who participated in the week’s events.
The final Wildcats Engineers Week event consisted of Dr. Leonard and Mr. Robert Stone’s engineering students displaying their course projects in the Career and Technology Education (CTE) hallway. These creations impressed many attendees of West Ashley High and were the perfect way to demonstrate the impact that Engineers Week has on students.

Thanks to Donnie Newton, West Ashley HS Public Relations Coordinator for submitting this story.

At the South Carolina HOSA State Leadership Conference each chapter was asked to choose one student as their outstanding member. The Outstanding Member was someone who participated in all of their team’s events and activities. West Ashley High chose senior Laniya Correya as their Outstanding Member.

West Ashley High School’s Health Occupation Student Association (HOSA) team competed in the South Carolina Health Occupations Students of America State Leadership Conference. The conference took place at the North Charleston Convention Center where 1,400 students from all over the state competed in a total of 133 events.

Student from Wando HS, James Island CHS, and Charleston Charter School for Math & Science were a few of the schools who competed from Charleston County.

West Ashley High students Theo McLaughlin and Mary Johnson pose with HOSA Club sponsors Melissa Sparks and Julie Bamberg at the South Carolina HOSA State Leadership Conference.

West Ashley High senior Mary Johnson placed first on the Behavioral Health Knowledge Test. “Obviously I’m thrilled with Mary’s performance,” said Melissa Sparks, West Ashley High Health Science teacher and HOSA Club sponsor. “She did exceptionally in our state competition and now she will get the opportunity to represent West Ashley on the International Stage at the HOSA International Leadership Conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in June.”

A total of ten students from West Ashley High competed in six different categories. Ashley Duke, Keely Barton, Theo McLaughlin, and Laniya Correya competed in Medical Terminology Knowledge; Edith Mendoza competed in Dental Terminology Knowledge; Jasmine Lloyd competed in Medical Reading; Dazia Chandler competed in Sports Medicine; Mary Johnson competed in Behavioral Health Knowledge; and Olivia Brazelton and Alex Ryan competed in the Health Career Display Event. Most students trained independently to prepare for the competition with the exception of Chandler. She worked closely with Kristen LaSeta, West Ashley High Sports Medicine teacher and Physical Therapist, to prepare for the demonstration portion of her event. Senior Laniya Correya was recognized as HOSA’s Outstanding Member because of her participation in the events and activities of West Ashley High’s HOSA Club.

West Ashley High senior Mary Johnson placed first on the Behavioral Health Knowledge Test at the South Carolina HOSA State Leadership Conference. Johnson will next represent West Ashley High at the HOSA International Leadership Conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in June.

Sparks was incredibly proud of the West Ashley High HOSA students who competed at the conference. “With it being our first year competing, I think that all of our competitors did outstanding work and represented the very best of West Ashley,” said Sparks. “I’m proud of all of our students who competed and I’m very proud that our students attended many educational sessions and supported other students around the state as well as our West Ashley team.”

(L-R) West Ashley High students Alex Ryan and Olivia Brazelton display their Health Career Team event poster before their presentation at the South Carolina HOSA State Leadership Conference.

This article was provided by WAHS Public Relations Coordinator Donnie Newton